Kismet
by Take this to Heart
Summary: Kismet is destiny; kismet is fate; kismet is Annie Walker and Auggie Anderson; they just don't know it yet . A Word of the Day story!
1. Mitigate

_a/n: Voila! My first Covert Affairs fic is finally up and running :) I have been trying for forever and a day to write a good story for these two, and after seeing countless adorable Word of the Day stories, I decided to take a go at it myself. _

_We'll see how it works out.._

_F.Y.I., my story will take place chronologically, and reviews are always appreciated! Enjoy._

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><p><em>Mitigate: to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.<em>

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><p>Annie let out a long groan, screwing her eyes shut against the wave of pain that washed over her as Auggie picked her foot up.<p>

"Don't move," he instructed her, sliding her high heel off slowly and following the curve of her foot with his hand until he reached her injury.

She involuntarily jerked her foot away as his fingers probed around her bone curiously, but that only served to cause another onslaught of soreness. She managed to suppress a cry of discomfort, instead making only a strangled noise in her throat.

Auggie sighed exasperatedly, his eyes flicking up to settle somewhere above her left shoulder. "I told you not to move."

"I couldn't really help it," she ground out, gritting her teeth determinedly as Auggie groped along the floor until his fingers ghosted across her toes. Under normal circumstances, that would have made her giggle, but the ache emanating from her ankle simply made her steel herself for Auggie's ministrations.

Once he had found her bone, he continued his examination—admittedly gentler than before. His fingers felt all the way around her ankle, massaging and evaluating the muscle, his ear cocked for any wince or hiss of pain that would fall from Annie's mouth.

"How did this happen?" he asked curiously after a moment, and Annie was grateful that he couldn't see the blush that blossomed over her cheeks.

"I don't know," she fibbed, avoiding Auggie's incredulous gaze. "I was walking toward you, and then I was on the ground."

"One too many glasses of wine?" he asked, cracking a smile.

"I guess so."

If Auggie didn't believe her, he didn't say anything, and Annie was grateful. Nothing could make her divulge what had actually happened; how she had gotten distracted while following him to the kitchen because of how he shook his hips in tune to the saxophonist's solo. How she had observed how his sweatpants hugged his curves quite nicely; how she was remembering a shirtless Auggie calling her "sugarplum" with a tattoo and very defined abs, and how this had made her shin hit the coffee table and her leg buckle in surprise and her ankle twist painfully.

No way, Jose; that story would stay locked inside her mind forever.

She glanced at the red mark on her shin, grimacing as she realized it would leave a bruise.

"This might hurt," Auggie said suddenly, his brows furrowed slightly in regret.

Annie sucked in a breath, her left hand wrapping around the leg of Auggie's coffee table. "Okay."

His fingers rested tenderly on her bone as his other hand slowly rotated her foot in a circle.

He was wrong; it _definitely_ hurt.

She pressed her lips together tightly, letting her head fall back against her shoulders. Her eyes focused on his ceiling fan making lazy circles through the air, just like her foot, and she bit down hard on her cheek as he rotated her foot the other way without warning.

Gingerly, he set her foot down on his carpet, sitting back on his heels.

"Is it broken?" Annie asked immediately, chewing on her lip nervously. Joan would kill her if it was broken, especially since there were rumors of an upcoming op against Russian Intelligence circulating.

Auggie shook his head. "No, but it looks like a really bad sprain. Stay here," he ordered as he stood up and made his way to his freezer.

Ignoring his command, Annie pushed herself up on her hands, eyeing his couch that was innocently sitting a few feet away. She hadn't even gotten as far as kneeling before Auggie's stern voice cut through the air. "Annie, stop it!"

She sighed angrily, sitting back on his floor and glaring at his profile as he pulled an ice pack from one of the shelves.

"I'm not a child," she mumbled, as he closed the door and turned towards her again.

"You need to let the swelling go down before you try walking," he said, holding the ice pack out for her to take.

"It's swollen?" she asked, wincing as she held her leg up in the air to get a better look at it.

"Unless your ankle is always that fat," he quipped, giving her a smirk as she huffed angrily.

"Auggie!"

"Hey, don't worry, I've always found cankles to be extremely sexy."

Despite herself, a smile pulled at the corners of her lips and she laughed softly. "You are unbelievable."

He smiled impishly, boyish charm pouring out of his sparkling eyes. "That's what they tell me."

She reached out a hand, a grin still playing on her lips. "Help me up, will you? I think it's time for me to head home."

His hand stretched until it found hers, his fingers tips touching, groping, sliding up her wrist to her elbow and then continuing up her arm—much to Annie's confusion—until his warm palm had smoothed over her shoulder blade and down her back.

"Auggie," she began curiously, "what are you—_oh_!"

Her question was cut short as his other sure hand snaked beneath her knees, gripping her heated skin-that had become even more heated as he was sliding his hands along her-and he stood up, lifting her through the air and holding her securely in his arms, as if she weighed as much as one of Chloe's baby dolls.

"Auggie!" she exclaimed, once again more than a little surprised by his strength.

"What? Would you rather walk?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Well…no," she admitted, "but is carrying me really necessary?" Even as she said it, she let her hand curve around his neck and hold on tightly to his really, _really_ muscular shoulder. How had she missed _that? _In all of their sparring practice and work outs, how had she missed how sculpted his musculature was?

He didn't answer her question, and she swallowed, tearing her eyes off of him before he felt her staring. "Hey, wait a minute," she murmured, noticing the route Auggie was taking. "You're bringing me the wrong way, genius."

"No, I'm not," he replied, rolling his eyes. "You can't even walk, Annie. How are you going to use the pedals in your car?"

"I'll use my other foot," she answered uncertainly. Admittedly, it was something she hadn't thought of yet.

"And when you get to your house? How will you get inside?"

She was silent. A dark driveway and a flight of stairs stood in between her car and her bedroom, and Auggie seemed to know she would have trouble by her silence.

"Just sleep here tonight, Annie," he said, feeling for the doorway of his bedroom with his foot. "Watch your head."

She tucked her head into the crook of his neck wordlessly as he walked through the doorframe, touched by his generosity. He stooped, depositing her onto his bed, and she sunk into it, a smile gracing her face as he took the ice pack from her, carefully wrapped it in a blanket and placed it on her sore ankle.

"Wow…" she hummed in appreciation.

"It's better than a futon, isn't it?" he asked, a smile blooming across his face as he opened a drawer.

"Yeah," she said reverently. "It's _much_ better than a futon."

A dark t-shirt that smelled like Auggie sailed through the air, landing on her face. She made a muffled grunt and pulled it off of her, eyeing it suspiciously. "What is this?"

"Pajamas, if you want," he offered, turning to leave the room.

Of course. He would never make her sleep in a pencil skirt and blouse.

"If you need anything, just call, I'll be on the couch," he said, turning back at the doorway and leaning against the frame.

"The couch?" she asked, her brow furrowing as she unbuttoned her shirt. "Auggie, let me sleep there, and you can have your bed."

He was silent for a moment, his eyes unknowingly focused directly on her, making her feel self-conscious as she wriggled out of her skirt and pulled his t-shirt on over her head.

"Auggie?" she prompted curiously when he still didn't answer.

He blinked slowly. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I made the lady sleep on the couch? Trust me, Annie, I'm fine. And remember I'll be in the next room."

"Okay," she murmured, suddenly very sleepy and very content. Her ankle was only mildly throbbing now; the ice had numbed most of the pain away while the comfort of his bed enveloped her. "But I'll be fine. Like I said, I'm not a child."

Sometimes it felt good to be treated like one though.

"Okay, Annie. Good night," he murmured, his voice suddenly sounding like it was right next to her ear.

Her eyes flickered open, but he was still leaning casually against the doorway, his face bathed in the half-light from the moon that was pouring in through his window.

"Good night, Auggie," she mumbled happily, pulling his covers up to her chin.

He smiled then, and it seemed to her, in her sleepy, slightly tipsy state, that she had the most beautiful best friend in the world.

Not that she would ever tell him that.


	2. Klatsch

_a/n: So, this story is kind of staying true to the show in some ways, but it'll be totally different in others. For example, Annie lives in the safe-house that no one can know the location of, and Jai has already had his promotion, but Parker will just not exist (partly because she doesn't really fit and partly because I can't wait until she's gone in the Peace Corps). Anyway, here's the next installment! Hope you like it, and don't forget to drop me a comment! :) _

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><p><em>Klatsch: a casual gathering of people, especially for refreshments and informal conversation. <em>

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><p>"Auggie, people are staring."<p>

Auggie rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Stop worrying."

"We should have gone back to my house so I could get a change of clothes," Annie grumbled, wincing slightly as she put too much pressure on her ankle. She tightened her grip on Auggie's arm, and he in turn shifted his weight so she could lean on him more heavily. "And maybe some different shoes," she added.

"Hey," Auggie said, holding up his hands. "In my defense, I offered you my sneakers. You didn't want them."

She swatted him in the chest. "They were three sizes too big! And you know what I mean."

"I'm not allowed to know where you live, Annie," he said, sighing. "It's called a safe-house for a reason. How many times do I have to tell you that? And if I'm not allowed to know where you live, some greasy cab driver certainly isn't."

"I could've driven," she muttered, leading Auggie around a group of laughing coworkers, many of whom gave them curious glances that made Annie's cheeks burn.

"Annie, you can't even walk on your own; you're using me as a human walking stick," he said dryly. "Forgive me if I've lost faith in your driving abilities."

Annie groaned. "Then I wish the cabbie could've taken me to my house! It's not like he's part of some international spy ring."

"It's protocol, Annie! No one can know where it's located."

"But I'm always alone there," she said, frowning. "I hate it."

"Get a cat."

"Auggie…"

"Get a real place then," he suggested, throwing a sideways glance and a smirk at her. "Until then, my door is always open, and you will always be forced to do the Walk of Shame." She bit her lip, knowing that Auggie was right, even if he was teasing. If she ever wanted to really feel at home, she needed a new place, where she could have company over, and sleepovers with the girls, and someplace that was smaller than her large, cold safe-house.

Footsteps sounded from behind them. "What do you know," Auggie said, a distinctly sarcastic edge in his voice. Annie glanced at him searchingly, wondering why his tone had changed so drastically. "I'm starting to think you want your old job back, Jai. You just can't seem to stay away from us."

Annie turned in surprise, losing her balance and grabbing onto Auggie for support, wincing slightly. She had long given up trying to figure out how Auggie could simply _know_ who was around from a simple sound or a smell. She had attempted to do it one day at her desk. She had closed her eyes, and listened to every squeak that passed her desk, trying to put the squeak with the shoe that it belonged to. Needless to say, she had failed miserably, not realizing that Joan was clicking towards her and getting reprimanded for "sleeping on the job".

Annie shuddered, remembering the incident and surveyed Jai, who was standing there with his arms crossed over a dark black suit. "Hey Annie," he said, throwing her a quick smile that she returned before he turned back to Auggie. "Don't kid yourself, Anderson; I'm here to celebrate my new promotion."

"How so?"

"I'm having a party at Allen's tonight, just a small little thing, and you guys are invited," he said, observing Annie's clothes with probing eyes. "I like your outfit," he said coolly, raising an eyebrow, "even if it does look strangely familiar."

Annie's cheeks flushed as a crooked grin graced Auggie's face.

"I sprained my ankle and couldn't get home," Annie quickly explained.

Jai pursed his lips. "Rough night?"

Auggie chuckled quietly. "Oh yeah," he said, a lascivious smile slowly spreading across his face.

Annie jabbed him in the ribs angrily. "He's kidding," she said, glaring at Auggie. She knew he liked to get under Jai's skin, but he would _pay_ for that little comment. It was all she needed for Jai's jealousy to start a rumor that would be spread throughout the building by lunch.

"The party starts at seven," Jai informed them, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two.

Auggie snorted suddenly. "I'm sorry, let me get this straight. Are you throwing a celebratory party for _yourself?_"

Jai's face clouded. "You don't have to come, Auggie. Believe me, we'll be fine without you."

"Did you make a cake with your face on it?" Auggie teased.

"Why don't you come see for yourself? Oh, wait—"

"You know what Jai, it sounds fun," Annie said loudly, cutting off the rest of Jai's distasteful insult. "We'll be there."

"Great," he said breezily. "I've got to get back to my very large office, Auggie. See you at Allen's."

He spun on his heel, clipping quickly through the DPD doors, and Annie turned to face Auggie murderously.

Before she could speak, he muttered, "I can't believe you told Jai we'd go to his stupid party! I am not going."

"Yes you are," she said, ignoring his protesting scoff. "You're coming."

"Annie!"

"That's your punishment for implying that we had sex," she said, elbowing him again.

"Ouch, stop doing that!" he complained, his lip jutting out in a pout. "Your elbow is really bony."

She didn't answer and Auggie sighed. "Come on, Jai knew I was kidding."

"That's what you think," she muttered as they began the trek to her desk once more. "He's going to tell someone and then they'll tell someone else and—Auggie, everyone's going to think we slept together!"

Auggie grinned widely. "Annie, everyone already thinks that."

Annie's mouth fell open with a pop, making Auggie grin wider.


	3. Cerebration

_a/n: Sorry this one's a little short, I hope you guys still enjoy it! _

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><p><em>Cerebration: the act or product of thinking.<em>

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><p>When the cab pulled up to Allen's, Auggie was having some serious doubts about himself.<p>

He had always prided himself on having a resolve of steel, an iron-clad sense of what was right and wrong in his mind and the ability to make a decision and not waver from it an inch.

So how had he allowed himself to be talked into attending Jai's party? He might not have minded so much if someone who actually _deserved_ it was celebrating a promotion, but Jai was just a cocky bastard, who got a promotion because his last name was Wilcox.

Auggie really couldn't stand him sometimes.

The moment Jai brought it up, Auggie knew he did not want to go, opting instead for a nice quiet evening in the comfort of his own home. But here he was, sitting in a smelly cab outside of Allen's, frantically wondering where his steady resolve had disappeared to.

A swish of fabric and a soft touch at his arm reminded him.

Of course, it was Annie Walker. His best friend, who had been blurring the lines of right and wrong in his head from the moment he had met her, had simply _told_ him he was coming and he had obliged. It was punishment from his best friend for making a joke about something that had been on his mind ever since Auggie had heard the quiet rustles of Annie changing into _his_ t-shirt in _his_ bed.

He was really glad he was Annie's best friend and Jai was the one with the puppy-dog crush on her.

The name Wilcox doesn't get you everything.

He stepped out of the cab, using his laser cane to move quickly to the side walk, stepping over to Annie's door to help her limp inside.

Then again, maybe Jai would be eaten up by jealousy because Annie would be stuck to Auggie's side.

And there _was_ the fact that Annie's car was still at Auggie's place, which meant she couldn't go directly home after the party.

The plan formed slowly in his mind as they entered the buzzing tavern and Annie began to mutter about all of the seventh floor suits schmoozing at the bar.

Annie would come back to his apartment to get her car, they'd relax for a bit on his couch, he'd stealthily give her more alcohol, she'd try to leave but would be too inebriated and injured, and he would hold her hostage again.

A smile spread over Auggie's face.

Maybe this night would be tolerable after all.


	4. Ubiquitous

_a/n: APPLYING TO COLLEGE IS SO STRESSFUL! SOOOO, I decided to ease my mind a bit by uploading some sweet Annie/Auggie fluff. Hopefully I did it justice; especially considering how I have never been drunk in my life, so I can only hazard a guess as to what a person might act like based on movies and TV shows. Anyways, this addition is longer than the last one. Enjoy, and don't forget to review! :) _

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><p><em>Ubiquitous: being everywhere.<em>

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><p>Annie did not remember why she was still on Auggie's couch.<p>

She knew that Auggie was being very nice and that he had rubbed Icy Hot on her sprain and had wrapped her ankle up nice and tightly with an ACE bandage and he had given her wine—and oh, yeah, that was why she was still there, because drunk driving was illegal.

She pursed her lips, wiggling her toes experimentally, and when her ankle did not immediately sear with pain, she stood up and hobbled over to Auggie's fridge, placing her wine glass carefully inside.

"What are you doing?" she heard him ask from his living room. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm saving my wine for the morning," she said, confused as to why he began to chuckle.

"I don't think you'll want it in the morning," he said, smiling at her.

"I'm really tired," she sighed, blinking her eyes wearily.

"Yeah, it's pretty late," he said, standing up. "My brain's getting fuzzy too."

She laughed at Auggie's words. "That's gross," she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose. "It sounds like your brain's moldy. Do you think my clothes are moldy?" she asked abruptly, looking down in disgust at her skirt and shirt. "I wore them two whole days."

Auggie grinned. "I doubt they're moldy. I'll get you a shirt though, and then you can go to bed."

"Yay," Annie said tiredly, collapsing onto his couch as he left the room. She yawned loudly, stretching her arms up above her head until she could almost reach the fan. Letting her arms fall to her sides, she sat for a moment before becoming bored. In a burst of sudden inspiration, Annie began to shed herself of her moldy clothes, hiding her skirt under a couch cushion and her shirt behind one of the pillows, giggling at how funny it would be when Auggie found them.

She stood up, tottering across the room and into Auggie's bedroom, just in time to see him pulling a shirt over his head.

"You have a nice stomach," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"I know," he teased, sending a wink her way that made her roll her eyes.

"You always think you are so awesome," she accused good-naturedly as she staggered across the room to where he was standing.

"That's because I am, Annie," Auggie said, fighting back a smile. "You should know that by now. Here, I have your pajamas too," he said, turning towards her with a dark grey t-shirt in his hand.

"Yay, thank—Ow!"

Annie's lurched forward with a cry of pain, which quickly dissolved into giggles as her hand grabbed Auggie's shoulder and his arms instinctively shot out to catch her. She turned looking for the culprit and saw a weight sticking out from under his bed. Glaring at it, she turned back to Auggie who had gone oddly still, one hand still resting firmly on her hip and one on her shoulder blade. "You're thingy tripped me," she pouted, suddenly aware of a prominent throbbing in her middle toe.

"My what?" he asked in a funny voice that didn't sound like his.

"Your um…what is it? The thing that gives you muscles!" she gave up trying to think of the name, instead focusing on the ache in her toes. "My foot really hurts."

He did not answer, his hand sweeping down her back, lingering slightly on the strap of her bra.

"Annie where are your clothes?"

She laughed again, remembering the game she made for him. "You have to find them. Do you have medicine?"

"What?"

She looked at him, startled for a moment because his voice was very low, and she thought she could feel his hand tightening ever so slightly on her hip. Her heartbeat began to speed up and she swallowed heavily. And then a particular nasty throb came from her foot, and she remembered what she needed.

"Medicine. For my toe? It really hurts."

She frowned again, realizing that her ankle was throbbing too, having been agitated by her trip.

Auggie blinked once, twice, and then he dropped his hands, tossing the t-shirt to her. It hit her stomach and fell to the floor and she stooped to pick it up, sliding it on and enjoying the loose material, eyeing Auggie curiously.

"Do you want some ice?" he asked in a strangled voice and she grinned, really liking that idea.

"Yeah! Ice!"

He left the room, and she followed him as fast as she could, groaning as the room began to wobble. She fell onto the couch with relief when she reached it, propping her sore foot up on his coffee table.

When he returned from his kitchen, his voice was good again and a smile was on his face as he handed the ice pack to Annie, sitting down beside her.

Annie snuggled into his side; he was as warm as all of her blankets put together. In fact, she decided that she wanted to sleep here tonight instead of in his bedroom again (partly because the room was still swaying slightly before her eyes and partly just because).

She was in Auggie's house and in Auggie's clothes and on Auggie's couch and with Auggie and everything was Auggie.

He smelled good too.

"Thanks," he murmured against the top of her head, his arm reaching out to snake around her shoulders and his voice sending a vibration through her whole body.

She giggled because she didn't realize she had said it out loud.

He chuckled too, his breath blowing out of his nose and onto her scalp, disrupting strands of hair.

She giggled because it tickled.

"Hey, Auggie?" she murmured, closing her eyes contentedly as sleep threatened to overtake her.

"Hmm?"

"Jai's party was stupid, I'm glad we came back here."

He let out a laugh and Annie smiled at the sound. "Me too."

And then she giggled because he felt nice.


	5. Malcontent

_a/n: First of all, thank you to thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed any chapter or story alerted this; your feedback really helps me out and just makes me happy in general! :)_

_Second of all, sorry this took a while to upload (and is kind of short), but I wasn't sure how I felt about it, and almost rewrote it. That said, I really hope you guys enjoy! _

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><p><em>Malcontent: one who is discontented or dissatisfied.<em>

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><p>Auggie's pants threatened to trip her once again as she painstakingly made her way up the stairs to her safe house, her high heels in one hand, the stair railing gripped tightly in the other. Angrily, she let go of the railing to hike up his pants once again, cursing his long legs and her drunken idea of amusement.<p>

Sighing, she took another step; once again trying not to put too much pressure on her injured foot, and once again failing.

She had awoken in the morning to find Auggie's chestnut orbs looking at her from his place beside her on the couch. At least, she thought they were looking at her.

"_Auggie, I can't believe you sleep with your eyes open, I've never known anyone who does that!" _

She had been shocked, grossly intrigued, by this hidden (could one call it a talent?) of Auggie's, and he had defended himself, insisting it was not a normal occurrence.

"_I only do it sometimes, not all the time."_

And then the phrase had spilled out of his mouth, the one that had been replaying in her mind, the one that had caused her breath to hitch, her eyes to widen, her mouth to open slightly as she tried to decipher if he was teasing or not.

"_I guess I was trying to see you in my dreams."_

Auggie had wanted her to stay longer to keep him company. He had offered up his shower, when she muttered something about needing to get home to get clean; his fridge, when her stomach growled; his clothes when hers were nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, she just needed to get home, to have some separation between Auggie and herself, because spending two whole days and nights with him, sleeping in his bed, on his couch, in his clothes, next to him, had blurred the lines that were already quite faded to begin with.

And now that she was home, she wished she wasn't.

She shuffled in through her wooden door, turned on the light switch mounted on wooden paneling, and made her way across the wooden floor to her futon. She sat down on it, letting her shoes and bag fall onto the floor, grimacing at the way it was much less comfortable than Auggie's bed, or even his couch.

A flash of annoyance coursed through her as she realized without Auggie, she would most likely spend this Saturday alone, without any hope of company popping over.

Her mind chewed over his deep, baritone words again.

"_I guess I was trying to see you in my dreams."_

He laughed afterwards, but it came a little late; to Annie, this suggested that there was some truth to his statement.

And then it hit her, fifty five minutes too late.

Auggie was blind; it was natural for him to wonder about what his best friend looked like, especially if she was having slumber parties with him.

It wasn't anything more than curiosity; nothing but a desire to solidify imagination.

She bit her lip, wishing she wouldn't have rushed out of his house so quickly. Compared to his, her house was cold and smelled weird.

She flopped back, wincing at the feel of her mattress.

She really needed a new bed.


	6. Canard

_a/n: Once again, I am SO SORRY that I took so long to update, I feel like it's been FOREVER, I just have had NO TIME to upload. Now, on to the goodies! _

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><p><em>Canard: an unfounded or false report.<em>

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><p>Annie was waiting patiently in the Starbuck's for Auggie to arrive, his coffee sitting on the table next to hers, still piping hot.<p>

"I heard they spent a whole week together."

"You did?"

"No way! What did they do?"

"What do you think they did, Sylvia?"

The murmurs of the new interns reached Annie's ears, but didn't register until she heard the blonde one sigh wistfully and mutter, "I would do anything to spend a few minutes with Auggie. I can't believe she got a whole entire week!"

And then in answer: "Don't forget that they spend almost every minute of the day together, especially when her ankle was sprained."

Annie felt a blush beginning to spread across her cheeks as she realized they were talking about her.

This had to be Jai's fault.

She strained her ears as they lowered their voices, attempting to figure out what kind of damage had been done to her reputation.

"What's her name again?"

"Annie, I think."

"I wonder what she looks like," one of them whispered conspiratorially. Annie sucked in a breath. Maybe she could run damage control right now; they didn't even seem to know who she was.

"I bet she has brown hair."

"No way, Auggie is totally into blondes."

"He's blind, Sylvia!" a tan one said exasperatedly.

"I know that! And I would totally be his seeing-eye dog."

Before Annie could talk herself out of it, she turned around to face them. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear what you were talking about," she said, giving them a friendly smile.

They looked startled to be interrupted, but not angry.

"I know Auggie and Annie, and I just figured that I should let you guys know that they are strictly friends."

The blonde one—_Sylvia,_ she was guessing—raised an eyebrow. "People who are strictly friends don't spend the night at each other's houses for a whole week."

"They didn't do that!" Annie said, vowing to hurt Jai (and Auggie for making his stupid joke) at the next opportunity.

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I work with them. Just trust me, they are not sleeping together," Annie stated firmly.

"Annie!" a horrifyingly familiar voice called from behind her. "You finally beat me to work."

Annie's eyes widened and she turned towards Auggie, clenching her teeth. It would be just her luck to have Auggie walk in on her while she was under cover, exposing her true identity to the interns.

"Hi Auggie," the interns chorused simultaneously, and he walked towards them, smiling widely.

"Hello Sylvia, Victoria, and Megan," he said smoothly, shooting them a wide, giggle-inducing grin and coming to a stop beside Annie.

She desperately wished he would not say anything to her until they were out of earshot.

"I see you met my good friend, Annie," he said conversationally.

Annie closed her eyes in despair.

Of course.

When she opened them again, the interns were all staring at her, their eyes the size of saucers. She averted her gaze to Auggie, discreetly tugging on his arm to leave.

"Hey, good news, I found your clothes," he said way-too-loudly, a proud smile blossoming across his face as he turned to follow Annie. "They were under my couch cushions."

Annie let out a groan, ignoring her confusion as to why in hell they were under his couch cushions and how in hell he had managed to find them there, and roughly dragging him away from the table.

"Thanks a lot," she muttered dryly, picking up the cups of coffee and leading him out of the shop. "Now those girls will never believe we're just friends."

He shrugged. "Maybe now they'll stop trying to maul me when I get within three feet of them. Those girls are animals, Annie. They don't know that I can hear them whispering."

She stopped walking, staring at his expression suspiciously. "Auggie Anderson, you did not…did you?"

He couldn't contain his crooked smirk any longer.

"You did!" she exclaimed, dismayed. "You totally did that on purpose!"

He let out a laugh, beginning to walk towards his office once more. "I can neither confirm nor deny your accusation."

"You will pay for this," she swore, her eyes narrowing in determination.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he said lightly, smugly smiling in her direction.

His smile crinkled his eyes at the sides, and she bit her lip, quickly taking a large gulp of coffee and searing her throat as the words she was dying to say went down with her mocha_. _

The words that had been tumbling around in her mind since last week when she'd stumbled from his wonderful house to hers and had been tossing and turning every night since.

_**You** help me sleep at night. _


	7. Hortatory

_a/n: HOLAAAA! Only one more day until I'm out on Christmas Break! Hopefully I'll be able to post more frequently. Here's another installment; I promise the next one will be much longer and filled with greatness!_

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><p><em>Hortatory: serving to encourage or incite.<em>

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><p>"Why am I here again?" Auggie asked, sighing loud. "It smells like plastic."<p>

"For moral support," Annie muttered absent-mindedly, taking his hand and pushing it against yet another mattress. "How does this one feel?"

"Too firm," he complained, eyeing Annie's voice. "You know, I'm beginning to think you just like my company."

Annie laughed quietly, placing her small hand on the crook of his arm and tugging him along behind her. "That's definitely it," she muttered sarcastically, and he furrowed his brow.

"You know, if you really want my help, you should be nicer to me," he warned, jerking forward as Annie pressed his hand up against another bed.

"Oh, you are so right, Auggie," she said, in a sickly sweet voice edged with cynicism. "_Please_ tell me how this mattress feels, you handsome man of infinite wisdom!"

"Too soft," he grumbled, and Annie's feminine giggles began to spill out of her, making him smile in spite of himself.

She began walking again, and he followed, his knuckles brushing up against her soft sweater occasionally as she kept a firm grip on his arm.

"Oh, I like this one," she said, stopping suddenly to examine another mattress.

Auggie clicked his tongue impatiently. "So you really just brought me along because of my impeccable taste in quality beds?" he asked.

"You've been in enough of them-"

"Hey!"

She giggled quietly, pushing him until his legs collided with the side of the bed and he fell onto it.

He felt the mattress depress as she lay down beside him, her sweater pressing against his arm. "Well, you do have impeccable taste, Auggie."

He grinned.

"But your company is pretty good, too," she said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. Auggie returned the pressure, letting his fingertips drift across her silky smooth skin as she pulled her hand away. Abruptly, she changed the subject. "What do you think about this bed?"

He looked towards her voice as the smell of grapefruit pervaded his nose. "I think it's just right."


	8. Eremite

_a/n: YAY! Here you go; a turning point in the Annie/Auggie relationship! :) Hope you enjoy and tell me what you think!_

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><p><em>Eremite: a hermit.<em>

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><p>Annie had to knock three times before Auggie answered the door, and even then he answered it slowly.<p>

The door slid open inch-by-inch to reveal a drawn face; despite this, she smiled widely. "Hey, Auggie," she said perkily.

He blinked once before sighing. "Annie, what are you doing here?"

"I came to cheer you up," she said, ducking under his arm before he could protest and bouncing into his house, kicking off her shoes easily and trotting over to his couch. She sat there, unpacking her bag she'd brought onto his coffee table, waiting for him to join her.

When he didn't, she glanced curiously over at the door. He was standing in his foyer, his arms crossed firmly over his chest and his face thrown halfway into shadow.

"Annie," he said again, his voice lower this time. "What are you doing here?"

She sighed, standing up and crossing the room until she was standing in front of him. "Auggie, you have not been at work for two whole days. I'm guessing that means you've just been holed up in your house?"

His scowl gave her the affirmation she was looking for.

"So, what?" he asked, furrowing his brows. "You're here to tell me to get back to work?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, involuntarily reaching out and playing with the hem of his tank top as she spoke. "It is so boring without you. And there's no one to protect me from Jai! He's been hovering since _yesterday_, ever since he realized you weren't at work. How he got that promotion, I don't know, because he never seems to be doing anything."

Despite Auggie's state of mind, her comment made him crack a small smile. "Is that all you came here for?"

She swallowed, gathering up the nerve for what she had been planning on saying since yesterday morning. "No," she said softly, dropping his shirt and clasping her hands in front of her. "I also came to tell you that…it wasn't your fault."

Auggie's smile immediately faded. She held her breath, hoping that her deductions as to why Auggie had suddenly turned into a hermit crab were correct. Ever since the mission had gone wrong, Auggie had not answered his phone or showed up at work, and Annie could only guess that it was because he felt guilty for almost getting her shot.

Auggie let out a ragged breath, stalking past her and into his living room. "Annie, I don't want to talk about that."

"Okay," she said, following him into the other room. "Then let's talk about why you've been ignoring me."

He stopped midway through the room, turning to face her. "I haven't been ignoring you."

"No, you just haven't been answering your phone when I call. I checked with Stu. You talked to him." Annie's lip jutted out, and she crossed her arms, trying not to let all of the hurt and confusion she was feeling show. "What's wrong with me?" she asked quietly, and despite her efforts, it was easy to hear the wounded tone of her voice.

She knew Auggie's bionic ears wouldn't miss it.

He sighed, running a tired hand through his hair and taking a few steps toward her. "It's not what's wrong with you, it's what's wrong with me," he muttered tensely, so quietly she almost couldn't hear it.

"Auggie, nothing's wrong with you," she said soothingly, loping over to him.

"Don't say that," he spit out tersely, balling his fists at his sides, and Annie stopped in her tracks.

"Wha—"

"Annie, you got shot!"

"It's okay-"

"_You got shot!_"He was shouting suddenly, his face twisted in anger and the veins in his arms bulging as he tensed his muscles. Annie stumbled backwards a few feet as Auggie's outburst continued. "You got _shot_, because of _me! _Don't act like everything is okay!_"_

She tried to answer, but she was so shocked that nothing came out at first. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I—Auggie, I got _grazed_," she corrected.

"In the _stomach_!"

"In the side," she said, struggling to keep her voice calm and even. "It's really more of a scratch. All the paramedic had to do was clean it a bit and put a bandage on."

Auggie scoffed heatedly. "And what happens next time?" he asked, throwing himself into his arm chair only to jump back to his feet immediately. "What happens when you don't get grazed, but you get _shot_ in the _head_, because I can't see the fucking security cameras and I can't tell you when someone's sneaking up on you? What am I supposed to do then, Annie? You tell me!"

"Don't think like that!" she exclaimed, her voice rising to match his temper. "There are people who can help you watch cameras, like Jai used to—"

"It's my _job _to think like that! _It's my job to keep you safe! _And if I can't do that, I might as well not work."

Annie was the one to scoff then, striding over to him in annoyance. "So what, you're just going to quit? Auggie, there's a bigger chance of something going wrong with a different handler than with you! You're the best at your job. To quit over something as stupid as—"

His hands shot out, colliding with her arms clumsily before finding her shoulders and squeezing them tightly. "You got _shot_!"

"Auggie, I—"

"That is _not _stupid!"

"_Auggie_!" she cried, waiting until his breathing had calmed a little to speak. "I. Got. Grazed."

She placed emphasis on each word, relaxing a bit as he swallowed heavily.

"Do you want to see?" she asked, her eyes roving his remorseful face. He winced at her question.

"Annie, I can't—"

"You know what I mean," she interrupted, prying one hand off of her shoulder and bringing it down to her waist. She hiked her shirt up and peeled the bandage back, wincing slightly at the soreness, and placing Auggie's fingertips at the edge of the wound.

Slowly he brought his other hand down to rest on the skin of her other hip, and with a shaky breath, his brown eyes questioned her, coming to rest on her left cheek.

"Go ahead," she murmured softly, attempting to ignore the unsettling feelings that were churning her stomach at Auggie's touch on her bare skin. At her words, his fingers began to gingerly explore her cut. He traced the outline of the injury, his fingers ghosting over her, barely touching. He bit his lip as he memorized the length of the nick, the width of the nick, and—very very carefully—the depth of the nick. His thumb ran over it lightly and she sucked in a breath at the chills that sizzled down her spine.

Auggie mistook it for a hiss of pain and snatched his hand away, mumbling apologies. Annie caught his hand again quickly, bringing it back to her skin.

"No, it didn't hurt," she murmured softly, and he looked down at her with something brewing in his eyes. "I was just surprised."

Auggie continued to feel, testing the difference between the texture of her normal skin and the puckering of the edges of the scrape. He seemed to decide that he liked her normal skin better and slid his hand slowly away from her abrasion, splaying his hand across the warm skin of her stomach, using his fingertips to trace trails of fire from her hip bones to her ribs.

Unconsciously, Annie's head was tilting further up, her neck craning farther, her toes stretching to make her taller. Auggie's face was inches from her own, and he seemed to know it, his breath speeding up with her heart.

"Auggie…"

His head hesitantly bent down a fraction of a centimeter, and then a fraction of an inch, and then a whole inch, and then he was just centimeters from her lips. He paused, brushing his nose along hers, listening to her unsteady breathing, before leaning in all the way. He placed a tentative kiss near the corner of her mouth, his lips pressing lightly against only half of hers, making her suck in a shaky breath. They seemed frozen there for a long time, his breath mingling with hers and his hands still canvassing her stomach—each of them waiting to see if the other would take the next step—until Auggie finally increased the pressure minutely and pulled away slightly.

"I'm sorry you got grazed," he murmured roughly, his gravelly voice vibrating throughout her whole body.

His hands fell from her, and Annie dropped back down onto her heels, feeling slightly light headed and more than a little confused.

"It's okay, Auggie, those kinds of things happen. They'll happen again," she mumbled in a high voice that was not hers. She closed her eyes, trying to regain control of her breathing and possibly her sanity. In a sad attempt to lighten the mood, she abruptly asked, "Does this mean you're coming back to work?"

His perfect mouth, that she would probably never be able to push out of her thoughts again, upturned in a small smile. "I'll be back tomorrow," he promised.

She returned his smile and he cleared his voice. "So, what did you bring in your bag?" he asked, padding over to his couch and curiously touching the contents strewn out on his coffee table. "Are these magazines?"

Annie nodded proudly, joining him on the couch, and explaining, "I wanted to get you out of your house, but I figured you wouldn't want to go to Allen's."

He nodded slowly. "True, but magazines won't get me out of my house, Annie."

"They will pretty soon. These are real estate ads, Auggie."

He made a noise of surprise and she pushed on.

"After I got back from the mission, I was all alone in my safe house—again, and I realized that I wanted a different, smaller, homier place where people can come visit all they want."

Auggie's face split into a grin again. "That sounds nice."

"That's what I thought," Annie said. "But there are too many choices, so you're going to help me decide. I think I have it pretty much narrowed down."

"Okay, let me hear the options," Auggie said, rubbing his hands together in preparation.

"One of them is a two bedroom, one bath apartment—"

"Two bedrooms?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow, and the slight teasing in his tone let her know he was already moving past his brooding stage.

"Well yeah, that way I'd have a guest room if you or the girls ever needed to stay over," Annie said, looking at the nice picture in the advertisement.

Auggie's signature smirk threatened to emerge.

"Well, I don't know about the Chloe and Katia, but I helped you pick out your bed, so I intend on sleeping in it if I ever need to," he said, stretching his arms out across the back of his couch. "It's half mine."

A giggle bubbled out of Annie, at his absurd comment. "Actually, Auggie, I'm the one that paid for it, so it's all mine."

"True, except for the half that's mine," he quipped, giving her a teasing smile.

"Whatever!" Annie exclaimed, shaking her head. "You're probably a bed hog. I bet you'd say you owned half, but you'd actually take three-quarters."

Auggie let out an indignant noise. "I am _not_ a bed hog, Annie Walker!"

"Pinky promise?" she asked.

"Pinky promise," he confirmed, holding up his pinky. She linked hers with his, surprised to feel butterflies forming in her stomach at this simple touch. Swallowing nervously, she kept her finger locked with his for much longer than necessary—until she saw his brown eyes become inquisitive and wander over the location she sat in—before finally letting go, biting her lip coyly.

Okay, so maybe it _could_ be half his.

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><p><em>an: I tried to make their kiss more of a "I'm really glad you're alive, because you're my best friend, but I'm not sure I'm ready to confront any feelings I may have for you" on Auggie's part. And I tried to make Annie's reaction something that would just naturally happen, because come on, if Auggie kissed you (regardless if he was just a friend or not), you'd be pretty affected too. :p Hopefully I did this justice!_


	9. Salvo

_a/n: Merry almost-Christmas everybody! I'm really trying to get a Christmas story together, so hopefully I can fine-tune it and get it posted before too long! _

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><p><em>Salvo: something to save a person's reputation, or soothe a person's feelings.<em>

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><p>"Hey, Annie, what're you working on?" a voice she had become entirely too familiar with in the past three days asked from behind her.<p>

She sighed silently. If she was being honest with herself, Jai was around more now than when he had actually worked at the desk by hers. Pursing her lips she continued to type, hoping to convey to Jai that she was too busy to talk without having to come right out and send him away.

"Oh, searching through potential assets?" Jai asked, his head appearing over his shoulder. "That's time consuming."

"I know," she muttered, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. "I've been doing it for the past hour or so."

"I could help you if you want," he offered, perching himself on the corner of Annie's desk.

"No," she said quickly, closing her eyes. "I think Joan would prefer it if I did it myself," she explained tiredly.

"Long night?" Jai asked, as Annie yawned widely.

"Yeah," she murmured. She knew she should have left Auggie's house earlier last night, but she coudn't bring herself to regret the lack of sleep. He had _kissed _her, after all. Well...almost kissed her. In a friendly, I'm-glad-you-aren't-dead way.

She swallowed, attempting to concentrate on her work for the hundredth time that morning.

Because no matter what Auggie had meant the kiss to mean, it had been haunting her from the moment he had pulled away. Which was why she had arrived at work an hour earlier than normal, subjecting herself to an hour extra of Jai, on the off chance that she would be able to clear her mind before Auggie arrived. "Is something the matter?" Jai asked, leaning forward to peer into Annie's eyes. "You want to talk?"

_Oh, God._

"Uh..."

"Uh-oh," a deep voice she recognized immediately as Auggie's exclaimed. Relief flooded through her and despite not even laying eyes on him yet, her heart began to speed up. So much for clearing her head; two syllables and she was acting like an eighth grader. Jai bristled as he recognized the voice, eyeing Annie's small, reflexive smile suspiciously. "Either Annie has started to wear some pretty stong cologne...or I smell a Jai Bird."

Annie caught sight of Auggie, loping across the DPD, his jeans resting lowly on his narrow hips, a dark sweater pulled over a white collared shirt, pushed halfway up his forearms and exposing the muscular veins there. Annie swallowed deeply, trying not to betray her inner dialogue to Jai, who was still staring at her suspiciously. Auggie looked better than half the guys in the DPD. A crooked smile sidled onto his face as he came closer and Annie's breath hitched. Scratch that, he looked better than _all_ the guys in the DPD, especially when his lips formed that shape-his lips that had been partly on hers just last night. As Auggie finally reached her desk, he circled around to stand behind Annie, resting his hand protectively on her shoulder. She couldn't stop the zings that raced through her body at his touch; only yesterday he had been caressing her stomach with those hands...

"Auggie," Jai said through a tight jaw. "I didn't know you were back."

"Got back this morning," he said, grinning widely and giving Annie a quick squeeze. "Now how did you escape from your office? I bet everyone is in a tizzy looking for you."

Jai grimaced, and Annie frowned, feeling a little sorry for the guy.

"You know, I probably _should_ be heading back. Annie, nice to see you, as always."

As he vacated the corner of her desk and began to walk away, Annie called out against her better judgment.

"Hey, Jai! Why don't we catch up some other time?"

A smile graced his face. "I'd like that. And Anderson?"

Auggie raised an eyebrow.

"You might not want to drink coffee in a white shirt again. It stains."

As soon as he vanished around a corner, Auggie sighed loudly. "Annie, Annie, Annie...what has gotten into the pretty little head of yours?"

She frowned slightly, not missing the fact that he had called her head pretty. "I don't know, I just felt bad for him. You're always so mean to him."

Auggie's eyes widened in incredulity. "I'm mean? Tell me Annie, did I spill coffee on my shirt?"

"No..."

"He's the one lying to a blind man! I think that makes him a little meaner."

Annie chuckled quietly, just grateful to have Auggie back at work. It would keep her from slowly going crazy. In fact, considering what she felt like right now, Annie suspected that Auggie would drive her to insanity within the span of three smiles or at least by lunch time.

His hand moved from her shoulder, catching some strands of hair between his fingers and absent-mindedly twirled them around. "Oh, and by the way, I also think I deserve a thank you for fulfilling my duty of protecting you from Jai, something which I remember you explicitly wanted me to do last night."

At the words "last night" Annie's mind was thrown back to his living room again; the way his fingers were on her heated skin, his lips were lightly pressed against hers, her heartbeat in her throat, his breath making her dizzy, his hands tightening ever so slightly as he seemed to wait for her to make the next move, a move that she didn't make because she was waiting just as tensely for him to do it.

"You're my hero, Auggie," she complimented him lightly, grinning widely and refocusing her thoughts back to the present day.

"That's what I like to hear," he said, giving her a fond smile, and tucking her hair behind her ear. "Want to meet for lunch later?"

"Sure," Annie complied easily, smiling to herself as Auggie turned to walk away. After a moment's thought she called out, "Auggie!"

He turned, his head cocked in question.

"I'm glad you're back," she said shyly, feeling significantly happier (and distracted) now that she'd gotten her morning dose of Auggie.

"Me too, Annie. Me too."


	10. Zeal

_a/n: Review and tell me what you think; I'm not sure about this one. Hope everyone is having a happy holiday so far!_

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><p><em>Zeal: fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.<em>

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><p>"Annie..." Auggie groaned from his spot on the floor where he was sprawled.<p>

"Stop whining," she chided from across the room.

Auggie heaved a loud sigh, scared to take in another breath of the tainted air.

This had to have been Annie's worst idea. Ever.

It had been a week since he had helped her decide on a new apartment to buy; a week since his lips had landed so tenderly on hers. It had been a week since he had lost his mind. He had blamed himself for almost getting Annie killed, when the agent watching the cameras had clumped away to go the the restroom and Auggie hadn't realized there was an ambush waiting. He had torn himself up over it, ripped out his hair, ripped out his heart, because if he let Annie die, then he might as well too.

But then she had come to cheer him up and he had discovered that her skin was softer than he imagined, a small, three-inch gash marring the tantalizingly warm and perfect skin that she had let him feel. She had even more tantalizing lips; lips that trembled under his as he struggled to stay in control of his emotions.

He liked to be in control of everything.

It was once she had left that he realized what his problem was: he couldn't control how much he cared about her. And in his opinion, he cared about Annie Walker too damn much.

One way or another, this girl would be the death of him.

And now, seven days after the thought first came to him, it was proving to be true as Auggie lay dying on the floor of her new home, practically getting suffocated by paint fumes.

This was _definitely_ Annie's worst idea.

And consequently, it was _his_ worst decision, because honestly, what help is a blind man for painting walls? But Auggie, in his infinite desire to please Annie had agreed when she begged him to help her.

And now he was paying the price.

"Can you _please _open a window," he moaned, pulling his shirt over his nose and mouth and taking a cautious breath in.

"All of the windows are open, Auggie," Annie said crossly from her position on the opposite wall. "We opened them an hour ago."

"This apartment has terrible ventilation," he mumbled. "I think we should've picked a different one."

"Too late," Annie muttered. "Why is the paint affecting you so much?"

He frowned. "I have a sensitive nose."

There was a snort and a loud clack as she set the paint roller onto the hard wood floor. Her sock-clad feet padded over to him, her clothes rustling as she knelt down. "Maybe you should go outside for a while," she said, worry seeping into her tone for the first time.

"Only if you come with me," Auggie said stubbornly.

Annie sighed, "Auggie, I'm almost done painting."

"Liar," he mumbled. "You still have your bedroom and the bathroom and at least one wall left in this room."

"Yeah, but those won't take that long," she protested, and he could hear the pout in her voice.

"Annie, you're crazy, there is no way you can finish moving in here in one day," Auggie said, trying to ignore the spinning in his head.

"Yes I can!" she insisted, tapping him on his nose and standing back up to continue her work. "We already have all the furniture and all the boxes here, and all that's left is to paint and unpack and arrange the furniture."

"Oh yeah, that won't take anytime at all," he muttered sarcastically, ignoring Annie's answering huff. Auggie sat up wearily, his whole body protesting. "That reminds me, you owe me a back massage. Carrying all those boxes almost killed me."

He heard a delicate snort come from her end of the room. "I thought you were strong Mister Special Forces Soldier Man," she teased.

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, trust me, I am. You just packed too much crap."

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Don't call my stuff crap!"

"I think I'm allowed to insult your belongings considering you're basically killing me because you're refusing to stop painting."

"You are such a Drama Queen!" she laughed, and there was a soft swish as she shook her head. "I like painting."

"Annie, you like shoes."

"Maybe I like painting, too," she said defensively.

"Well maybe-" Auggie was cut off by a loud knock on the door. "I'll get it!" he said excitedly, heaving himself off the floor.

"Auggie!" A clatter echoed through the room as Annie dropped the paint roller. "I want to get it! This is _my _house!"

"Too bad, slowpoke!" he yelled, walking as quickly as he could with both hands outstretched in front of him, his feet shuffling along the floor to avoid tripping over any boxes.

"Auggie!" she cried, laughing as she jumped over a box. He smelled the wave of her perfume as she bolted past him, and a second later she opened the door.

"$14.87," a male voice deadpanned, and Auggie grinned at Annie's surprised silence.

"Uh...I think you have the wrong apartment," she said hesitantly as Auggie finally joined her at the door.

"We have an order for an Auggie Anderson. Is this his place of residence?"

"Wha-"

"Yes," Auggie said from over her shoulder, pulling a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and holding it out for the man to take. His mouth twitched at the indignant noise emitted from Annie's throat. "You can keep the change."

A moment later the door shut and Annie swatted him in the chest. "I can't believe you said it was your house!"

He grinned widely. "Technically it is. This apartment is half mine," he said. "I helped pick it out."

"Auggie!" she said, a giggle escaping from her despite her irritated tone. "You cannot keep claiming my things! And I can't believe you ordered pizza!"

"This is not a thing, it's a place," he corrected her, finding her elbow and tracing it until he found the warm box of pizza. He took it from her small hands and turned away, allowing one hand drift along beside him following the wall. "It's my treat, Annie."

"The kitchen's over here!" she called after him.

"We are not eating out here," he scoffed. _One door..._ "My pizza will taste like paint." _Second door._ He felt around until he touched the doorknob, turning it and walking into the cool air.

"Auggie, that's my bedroom!" he heard her call.

"I know," he said. "It's the only place that's been mildly spared the wrath of the paint fumes. Now will you take a break from painting now?" he turned to face her, arranging his features into his best puppy dog pout.

"Don't give me that face!" she exclaimed.

"You have to eat, Annie," he coaxed, waving the pizza box into the air. "I'll make it up to you."

"How?"

"I'll do anything you want," he promised, regretting it immediately because there were so many different ways that she could use that sentence against him. But then her hand was on his chest, pushing him a few steps backwards and shutting the door behind her, and he couldn't bring himself to think about it anymore because he was focusing on controlling himself. It had been a long time since he'd been in someone's bedroom for an innocent reason.

"Well, I guess a break couldn't hurt."

His face broke into a grin at her words and he stepped away from her, shuffling over to the bed carefully and jumping into the center of it, sinking down into soft pillows that smelled like Annie.

"Give me a piece," she whined, jumping on the bed next to him and resting her head on his shoulder, making a warm feeling trickle down throughout his whole body. Sometimes, he wished that it was socially acceptable to kiss your best friend for no other reason than to show her how much she meant to you. He didn't want to _date _Annie, he just wanted to be _with _her. All the time. It was a paradox he had struggled with daily ever since last week.

He pushed these thoughts from his mind and handed her a piece of the pepperoni pizza she had requested, wiggling so he was sinking more fully into the bed and humming in approval. "Wow, I guess I do have impeccable taste in beds."

She gave a short laugh. "I told you, it's because of all the different ones you've been in."

His mouth opened in mock hurt. "Annie Walker! All of your constant insults are beginning to affect my self-confidence!"

But secretly he wouldn't have it any other way.


	11. Cadge

_a/n: I am SOOOO sorry it has taken me this long to update this story. I had chapters ready, but my computer got a virus and I had crazy last minute school to deal with, and I hope you can forgive me and continue to enjoy this story. AGAIN, I am SOO sorry! _

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><p><em>Cadge: to beg; to sponge.<em>

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><p>Stu had never been more terrified in his entire life.<p>

Well, there was that one time when his brother had driven him to Dairy Queen in their Dad's Ford Pick-up; he had been pretty sure he was going to die then. And the time that his high school girlfriend's father had caught them in a very compromising position; he had been positive he was going to die then too. But, with the exception of those moments, Stu's life had been relatively calm, consisting of MIT, books, and the CIA.

But, now, his life could definitely be coming to a close.

"Auggie," Stu said quickly, as his boss slowly advanced on him, "Please calm down!"

"Tell me where it is," Auggie demanded.

"I swear, I have n-no idea," Stu stammered, taking a hurried step back as Auggie took one towards him.

Stu had always been good with numbers, and he took a few seconds to calculate his odds.

Factor one: Auggie had gotten to work late that morning.

Factor two: Auggie had not consumed any coffee.

Factor three (possibly the most important one): Auggie had not seen Annie yet.

Stu swallowed heavily, his throat feeling very dry. He _might _have a chance if he could manage to keep his desk between himself and his boss.

"Stu," Auggie warned, his voice rising. "Don't lie to me! Where is the chocolate cake that was in my desk? I know you know what happened to it!"

"But I don't, Auggie, I swear!" Stu exclaimed, the end of his sentence coming out as a squeak. Auggie took another step. "Please, Auggie, please stop. Please, please, please listen! I have _no idea_ what happened to it!"

"The cake was for Annie," Auggie said lowly, crossing his arms.

Stu paled. When this factor was added into his calculations from earlier, it significantly altered his odds of coming out of the office alive.

In fact, he had absolutely no chance in hell. He was going to get mauled by his boss and then fired from the best job he'd ever had. And what was even worse: he was going to get mauled by his boss and then fired from the best job he'd ever had for something he didn't even do!

"Auggie, I honestly don't know anything," he mumbled.

Auggie balled his hands into fists and Stu yelped, ducking down behind his desk just as a female voice charmed the air.

"Hey, Auggie!" she greeted happily and Stu visibly relaxed, leaning his head against the cool metal of his desk and thanking every lucky star he had for Annie Walker. "...Stu?"

He looked up quickly, giving Annie a grateful smile.

"Why are you on the floor?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"W-Well, uh, I..." he trailed off, standing up and settling for a gesture in Auggie's general direction.

Annie's brow furrowed in concern and she strode over to Auggie, placing a gentle hand on his forearm. "Auggie, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Stu stole the cake from my desk and is lying about it," Auggie stated, throwing a glare towards Stu's heavy breathing.

"Annie, I didn't, please believe me," Stu pleaded fervently.

She pursed her lips for a moment, her eyes flickering back and forth between the colleagues. After a moment she said, "Auggie, even if he did, it was just chocolate cake. You can get some more in the cafeteria."

Auggie cleared his throat slightly, shoving his hands in his pockets, and Stu suddenly wished he was anywhere but here. "But I got the chocolate cake for you," Auggie sulked. "That's why I was late."

Annie's eyes widened and she smiled at him tenderly, wrapping her arm around his and squeezing it tightly to her body. "I knew there was a reason I liked you so much," she said softly, making Auggie grin widely. "Come on, you can buy me some more in the lunch room."

"It won't be the same," Auggie muttered petulantly. "I went to the bakery on M Street."

Annie's smile grew. "Even better! We can go there after work today and you can buy me a nice big piece of cake..." Their voices drifted off as they walked out of the office arm-in-arm and Stu sank tiredly back into his chair.

He was really lucky that Auggie Anderson had met Annie Walker.

She could always calm him down, make him relax, or even (as Stu had once witnessed for himself) make his big, tough boss blush. It had only been one time, but Stu had been stunned into silence all the same. There was a rumor going around that Auggie and Annie had slept together about six times already, but Stu guessed it was more like two. And while hooking up with a blonde CIA agent was awesome, if Stu was being honest with himself (which is something he tried to be) he really hoped that Auggie and Annie became an official couple soon. Not just because he bet Jordan twenty bucks that they'd get together in the next month, but because Annie made his boss _happy_.

And no matter how intimidating or terrifying Auggie may have seemed at times, no one deserved to be happy more than he did.

As he began his work again, a flash caught his eye, and he looked out the glass windows of the Tech Ops office, his mouth falling open as Jai strode quickly past, looking furtively over his shoulder; a bag that looked suspiciously like the one that had been sitting in Auggie's desk gripped tightly in his hand.

Stu half rose, debating whether to run after the love birds and tell Auggie exactly what he'd seen.

Odds are, he'd be off the hook, but he'd have to interrupt them and Auggie would probably become angry again at him _and_ Jai, and Stu would be forced to deal with the aftermath...without Annie. He slowly sat back down into his chair.

Sometimes it was best not to get involved.


	12. Poltroon

_a/n: Thank you for the reviews, and here's the next installment! Again, sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long!_

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><p><em>Poltroon: a wretched coward; craven.<em>

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><p>At first, taking Annie to the best bakery around had seemed like a great idea.<p>

In retrospect, Auggie realized that it wasn't. Not at all.

Annie had insisted on eating inside because she loved the smell of bread, but with the amount of people and all of the ovens working, it was very hot inside this bakery.

If that wasn't enough to get Auggie sweating, there were a lot of people inside this bakery (it _was _the best one in town) and Annie was pressed up against his side, trying to stay out of the way of a long line of customers.

If that wasn't enough to make Auggie _crazy_, Annie now smelled like chocolate. A wonderful, and dangerous he was just now realizing, combination of sweet grapefruit and sultry chocolate that turned Annie into a goddess that laughed at his jokes, rested her silky hair in the crook of his neck at times, and pressed against him closer than even his own skin did.

And those haunting lips swam in lazy circles around his mind, teasing him with the memory of almost-kissing her, once again.

But, much to his unease, he didn't make a move. As much as he wanted to, as tempting as his best friend was, he did not dip his head and capture her lips passionately, and that in itself was enough to absolutely derail him.

August Anderson was _not_, under any circumstances afraid of anything.

Except apparently kissing his best friend.

The little voice in his head corrected him almost immediately: he wasn't afraid of kissing Annie; he was afraid of _losing_ Annie. And his track record with women did little to bolster his confidence.

He swallowed heavily as Annie's lips brushed against his ear. "Thank you Auggie," she murmured softly, and he could hear her smile. "This is the best cake I've ever eaten, and I get to eat it with the best friend I've ever had."

His thoughts were muddled and confused, and this only served to frustrate him more. He was a guy who usually understood everything, and to not understand the feelings of his own body made him very unhappy.

He smiled just the same, tightening his arm around her slightly. "Nothing less than the best for you, Annie."

She giggled and it was music to his ears. "You're sweet."

"Yeah, well, that's what they tell me," he joked, trying to put all thoughts of kissing Annie, dating Annie, and losing Annie out of his mind.

It was better to stay friends.

Yeah, he thought, making note of his heavy heart. He was being a coward.

But at least he wouldn't be a lonely coward.


	13. Provendor

_a/n: Hello everyone! Here's another installment to the story. Don't forget to review and tell me if you liked it or not! :)_

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><p><em>Provendor: food or provisions.<em>

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><p>"Danielle?" Annie called as she opened the kitchen door a crack, poking her head inside.<p>

The kitchen was empty, but sounds of laughter and conversation floated out from the family room. A wry smile crossed her face, and she stepped cautiously inside, shutting the door softly behind her.

"Danielle?" she called again, walking over to the counter and depositing her bag on it.

Danielle's face peered curiously around the edge of the fridge. "Annie?" she asked in surprise, stepping all the way into the kitchen just as a shriek of laughter sounded. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," Annie murmured, suddenly wishing she had called first. "I don't mean to interrupt your family time, I just..." she paused and Danielle cocked her head in curiosity. "It sounds like the girls are having fun," she said, tapping her toe on the tile nervously.

Danielle nodded. "Michael came home early, so they're spending some time with him."

Annie cleared her throat, taking a step back towards the door. "Well, like I said, I don't mean to interrupt, but Auggie brought me to this really great bakery, and they had the most amazing chocolate cake-it tasted just like grandma's-so I thought I'd drop some off for you to try."

Danielle smiled, striding quickly over and peering inside the bag Annie had placed on the counter. "That was really sweet of you," she said, reaching out a hand to squeeze Annie's arm. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Annie said. A sudden, desperate feeling of longing came over her, and she wished she could just climb back into her bed in the guest house, so she could wake up to great food and children and companionship.

Danielle's smile deepened, and she raised a meaningful eyebrow at her sister. "Auggie wouldn't by any chance be Cute Auggie, would he?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "I only know one Auggie, Danielle."

Danielle clapped her hands. "So it is! Tell me, did you discover this cake while on a _date _with Cute Auggie?"

"No..."

"Annie!" Danielle groaned, clapping a hand to her forehead. "Why not? Cute Auggie is totally into you!"

"Oh come on," Annie muttered, even as memories of Auggie's lips on hers flitted quickly through her mind. "First of all, his name is _Auggie_, not "Cute Auggie", second of all, you've only met him like one time, and third of all, he's my best friend."

"With benefits?"

"Danielle!"

"Okay, okay," she said, holding up her hands in surrender. "All I'm saying is, cute guys don't take cute girls out for cake just because."

Annie pursed her lips. "Auggie doesn't have feelings for me in that way."

"Have you asked?"

Annie's eyes widened dramatically. "I can't just go up and ask hi-"

"Sure you can!" Danielle exclaimed. "Plus, if I remember correctly, he's blind, so he wouldn't be able to even see you blushing."

"Auggie would be able to tell," Annie murmured, biting her lip nervously.

"Okay," Danielle sighed, and Annie was grateful that she was dropping the subject. "Listen, do you want to come and hang out for awhile?"

Annie hesitated as a deep roar sounded and two identical screams came from the living room. "No, the girls should have some alone time with Michael. Is everything going okay with you two?"

Danielle's smile soured. "We're trying to work it out."

The tone of her voice told Annie it wasn't really working. She nodded and decided not to push any further on the subject. "Alright, I got to go. But listen, if you guys ever want to visit, don't hesitate to call. I should get going."

"Alright," Danielle said, flashing Annie another sweet smile. "It was good to see you."

"Good to see you too."

Annie slipped outside, walking wearily to her car, and wishing she had taken Auggie's advice and gotten a cat.


	14. Cockaigne

_a/n: Hope you guys enjoy this one! It's kind of short :( But more will be up soon._

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><p><em>Cockaigne: an imaginary land of ease and luxury.<em>

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><p>Annie did not know why she was dialing Auggie's number.<p>

Annie did not know why she was listening to it ring.

Annie did not know why she didn't hang up as soon as his voice rumbled through the line and into her ear.

"Annie? Is everything okay?"

She swallowed, clearing her throat before sheepishly answering. "Yeah."

He stayed silent, waiting for her to explain what she needed, and suddenly she felt very foolish.

"Look, I'm driving back to my place from Danielle's, and I was just..." she paused and started over before she rambled Auggie into oblivion. "I know you just got back to your house, but I was wondering if you would maybe want to hang out at my place for a while?"

"You just can't get enough of me, can you, Annie Walker?"

She shook her head at his ego, turning down the street that would take her in the direction of Auggie's flat. "Danielle's house is always so full of life, I would've just been depressed if I had spent my night alone, staring into a tub of ice cream."

"Oh, so that's what you do on your down time."

"No! I just-Auggie-"

"I get it, I get it," he said, and she felt relaxed knowing that he would be there to keep her company. "Although..." she could hear the teasing tone he was adopting from the first word of his sentence. "We have work tomorrow, and I'm so very comfortable on my couch... If I come to your house, what's in it for me?"

Annie smirked. "It'll be like paradise," she promised, taking another right. "We can listen to Mingus all you want, eat lots of junk food, and best of all you get to hang out with me!"

She grinned as he laughed.

"It'll be like Candyland for adults."

"Annie, that makes it sound like we'll be doing drugs."

She ignored his smartass comment. "Plus, if you agree to come over, I might give you that back massage you've been whining about."

"When can you pick me up?" he asked immediately, and she giggled.

"Five minutes, Auggie. Five minutes."

Her foot pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal.


	15. Dipsomania

_a/n: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! The story will probably be wrapping up pretty soon :( I don't want to drag it on too long. Don't forget to review! _

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><p><em>Dipsomania: an irresistible, typically periodic craving for alcoholic drink.<em>

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><p>Annie needed a drink.<p>

Auggie Anderson could make any girl crazy.

The fact that he was her best friend made Annie slightly more crazy than "any girl".

And the fact that she had been tucked into his side for the past three hours listening to his deep baritone stories that sent shivers down her spine was the straw the broke the crazy camel's back.

If she didn't get a drink and calm down _immediately_, she was going to do something they would both regret. Well, she might not _regret_ it, but attacking your best friend's mouth was generally frowned upon, especially when he was your handler in the CIA. No matter what kind of policy the CIA had on inter-agency relationships, something told Annie that Joan would have a hard time accepting _that _relationship.

"Hey, Auggie, you want to go to Allen's?" she asked abruptly.

He looked up in surprise, his brows creasing together. "What?"

"Allen's? You want to go?" her words sounded stupid to her own ears.

"Uh...no..." He was clearly confused, and she didn't blame him. She had invited him over, only to suggest that they go out? How did that make any sense? It didn't. And yet, she still heard her voice spilling out of her mouth, confusing him more.

"Come on," she practically begged.

"Annie, it's late. And your couch is very comfortable. And you still haven't given me that back massage you promised. I'm beginning to feel like I was tricked."

The mere thought of Auggie laying shirtless, completely at the mercy of her hands made her throat close. This _had _to stop now. Since when did Auggie's attractiveness make her nervous? Sure, it had been on her mind more often than not lately, but that was because they had been spending so much time together. She stood up, intending to grab a beer from her refrigerator, but Auggie's hand wrapped around her hip, and she fell back, her muscles tensing as she sucked in a breath. Auggie sensed the change, and a smile slowly spread over his face.

"Wait a second...are you _ticklish_, Annie?"

She pressed her lips together. "Nope."

"Wow, you suck at lying!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with delight. "How come you never told me you were ticklish?"

Annie groaned, letting her head fall back against the cushions. "Because you're way too entertained by that fact for anything good to come of it."

Auggie cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, I can picture lots of good things-"

"Auggie, if you even try to tickle me, I'm going to kill you," Annie threatened, but Auggie merely smiled and moved his hand from her hip to rest behind her shoulders.

"I'll spare you tonight, Annie Walker," he murmured.

"Good," Annie said, smiling slightly as his hands began to play with her hair.

"But don't think I'll forget about this."

Annie groaned loudly, throwing a glare Auggie's way. "You know what, I do not suck at lying! I'm a spy, mister!"

"Apparently you do, because I can see right through you!"

"You can't see Auggie," she teased, nudging him in the side.

"Ouch! That was a low blow!" he exclaimed. "Alright, try me. Tell me something and I'll guess if it's true or not. If you win, we go to Allen's; if I win, I get my back massage."

Annie raised an eyebrow. Auggie seemed way too confident that he would get his way; her instincts told her not to engage, but his boyish charm was eating away at her resolve and when a pleading smile slid onto his face, Annie sighed.

"Alright, fine. But we have to go two out of three."

Auggie agreed eagerly and Annie tried to think of the craziest thing she had ever done. Maybe she could trick Auggie into thinking she was lying, when in fact she wasn't. Even as her mind raced, a small part of her brain was asking her _why_. What was the point of winning this bet and going out to Allen's when she could spend her night comfortably next to Auggie? She ignored these thoughts and said, "I kicked a shark in the face when I was in Sri Lanka."

"Truth."

Her eyes widened and she narrowed her eyes. Maybe she could trick him by saying something false that was extremely mundane, so he would think it had happened. "I...drank soda today."

"False."

Annie's jaw dropped open, and Auggie grinned smugly, pulling off his shirt without further ado.

It was so unfair, and she tried to control herself. The last thing she needed was Auggie's super hearing to pick up her pulse rate: she would never hear the end of it. But his abs were taunting her, the definition taking her by surprise once more, his muscle tone making her brain feel hazy and her more womanly instincts take over.

How was she supposed to give him a massage and keep control of these totally uncalled for emotions racing through her veins?

She really needed a drink.


	16. Fugitive

_a/n: AHHH I can't wait for SEASON THREE OF COVERT AFFAIRS! I'm starving for some new Auggie and Annie cuteness! Until then, hope you enjoy THIS Auggie and Annie cuteness. :)_

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><p><em>Fugitive: fleeting, transitory, elusive.<em>

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><p>Auggie was in heaven.<p>

Well, technically, he was in Annie Walker's bed, which was technically partly his because he had helped pick it out. And to add to the supreme comfort of this situation, Annie was massaging his sore and neglected muscles. She was like an angel, hovering above him, magic pouring out of her manicured fingertips. He felt like he had taken a sedative. His whole body was heavy, trapped in a dream-like state, anchored to reality only by the bed and Annie's hands.

In addition to his complete incapacitation, there was one other problem.

Auggie had given up trying to be Annie's friend the moment her hands had touched his bare back.

He was a human, not a robot, although he wasn't sure even a robot could resist the pull of Annie Walker. Right now, she was kneading his muscles like they were bread dough, her small fingers reducing the Special Ops hero to a mass of pure contentment. He had not felt so at ease since he had lost his vision. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that nothing had changed and he would be able to see Annie when he opened them. Her soft blonde hair and wide brown eyes. Her pink lips. Her figure all the guys talked about. And those killer legs that just _had _to extend up from her high heels.

"Oh...Annie..." he groaned as she worked her way to his neck.

She laughed softly. "Do you like that?"

"Uh, yeah. But not as much as you like my muscles," he joked.

Her hands froze for a millisecond and he heard Annie's breathing grow shallower, and then the moment passed, and it was like he imagined it. "Be careful, if your head gets any bigger it might explode," she joked, but there was something in her tone, a tiny quaver, that made Auggie think he had caught her red handed.

However, before he could turn this thought over in his mind and analyze it, Annie changed the subject. "So how did you know when I was lying or not?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You were freakishly good at it!" she exclaimed, pushing harder into his shoulders and making his mind go blank for a moment. If this was the reward for helping Annie carry boxes, he'd gladly carry everything she owned a thousand times over.

"It's because I know you so well."

"Really?" her hands slowed, working their way up and down his back once more.

"No. I'm just that good."

She scoffed, her hand swatting his skin lightly. "Shut up Anderson." She withdrew her hands and Auggie deflated a little bit, wishing he could somehow coerce her into giving him a massage everyday for the rest of his life. Then suddenly there was a light touch in between his shoulder blades, tracing the lines of his tattoo and sending chills down his spine.

He stopped breathing as Annie blew out a breath.

And there it was again, the slight tension that he had felt moments earlier. He didn't dare say anything for fear of dispelling the tension and sending Annie away. And yet, he had to wonder if it was all in his mind. Did Annie feel the same thickening of the air and the same tingling in her skin? He swallowed heavily and Annie pulled her hand away, her fingertips trailing over his heated skin just a second longer than necessary.

She sighed. "I always did have a thing for tattoos."

Then she climbed over his body and off the bed, and Auggie was left open mouthed, his heart swelling slightly with hope.

"Do you want any ice cream?" she yelled from the kitchen, and Auggie rolled off the bed a goofy grin taking a place on his face.

Oh, she was not getting out of anything that easily.

"Sure," he called back. He'd have some ice cream, but afterwards, he and Annie would have a long talk about feelings and options and _them_.

Auggie steeled himself for battle and marched out of the room.


	17. Spurious

_a/n: Thank you so much for all of the support and reviews! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)_

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><p><em>Spurious: not genuine, authentic, or true.<em>

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><p>Annie sighed contentedly, reclining back into her couch and letting the cushions envelope her. "I love ice cream."<p>

"Me too," Auggie said automatically, but Annie snorted. For the past twenty minutes she had been watching him stir his spoon in his ice cream until it had become a melted mess of chocolate froth and soggy nuts.

She wrinkled her nose slightly. "Right. You know, if you weren't in the mood for ice cream, you didn't have to take some. Now you've wasted a perfectly good bowlful."

He looked at her in surprise, like he had forgotten he was even supposed to be eating. "What? No, I _did _want it, I just got to thinking."

"About?"

He opened his mouth, seemed to change his mind, and then closed it again, shrugging his shoulders vaguely. "Stuff."

Annie raised an eyebrow. "What kind of _stuff_?"

Auggie pursed his lips before answering. "Just...stuff."

Annie rolled her eyes groaning loudly. "Ugh, Auggie, please do not insult my intelligence! I may not be some super human lie detector, but I can tell that that is a load of crap."

"Alright, so it's important stuff," he admitted, turning his penetrating gaze onto her. He leaned forward, setting his untouched bowl on the coffee table carefully before turning to face Annie. Her smile faltered slightly at his expression. "It has to do with you."

"Me?"

"But you know, there's always the possibility that I misread the situation, so just be honest with me."

Annie laughed nervously. What was he talking about? It had to do with her? And it was _not _like him to beat around the bush or to blatantly doubt himself. "Auggie Anderson misread a situation? Not likely."

"Yeah well, that's what I thought," he said, smirking at her and making her heart speed up slightly. He hadn't bothered to put on a shirt after his massage and the smooth planes of his chest were making her mouth water more than the ice cream was, and making it _extremely_ difficult to concentrate on his words. She chalked it up to the fact that she hadn't been around a shirtless man in an extremely long time, so Auggie's chest was looking about five times more attractive than it would in a normal situation-if she was a normal girl with a normal boyfriend. Even though, she had to admit that Auggie's chest would be freakishly attractive to her in any normal situation as well...

She closed her eyes and decided to tease him to take her mind off of his chest. "You are _so_ modest."

He shrugged. "You like it."

She smiled coyly, leaning her head into the cushions again. "Sometimes."

"And you like my tattoo."

"Sure," she said lightly, trying not to let on exactly how _much _she liked it. That would just open a whole new can of worms that definitely needed to stay shut.

"And you like my company."

"Of course," she said, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. She was starting to get uneasy. "What are you trying to say, Auggie?"

"That you like me."

"What?" her whole body rigidly shot up from its reclined position on the couch. "I don't! You're my best friend!" But even as the words were leaving her mouth, she knew they weren't true. The months of subtle advances and slight flirtations had all built up to this one moment, when she could no longer deny that she harbored feelings for her best friend. Danielle's insinuations, Jai's jealousy, her own irrational giddiness whenever something involving Auggie came about should have made it clear, but until this moment, she could not admit to the affections hiding in her heart for Auggie. He was her best friend, her handler, her mentor. But he was also more than a friend. They had basically already had their first date, though not officially, and if she really thought about it, he grew more like a boyfriend with each passing day. And _oh_, the mere memory of his lips just slightly on hers haunted her dreams and inspired daydreams; the thought of Auggie _actually _kissing her, filling them both with unquenchable passion, made her weak at the knees.

What could she do? The answer was already rushing through her brain. She could _tell him_.

He was now staring intently in her general direction, a slightly puzzled expression on his face. She could tell that he'd been pretty sure he was correct in his deduction, and was now struggling to understand where he had gone wrong. He might doubt all of his instincts in the future because of this! She might be the reason he makes a wrong decision and ruins a mission! And yes, maybe she was overreacting a little bit, but she had _never _lied to Auggie before, and she couldn't, she wouldn't, start now. Especially when he had explicitly asked her not to! She was a horrible person. "Wait a minute," she blurted before she could change her mind. "Actually Auggie-"

"No, it's okay," he said quickly. "I must have misread the situation, like I said."

"But Auggie I-"

"No, it's fine, Annie." His usual charming smile spread over his face. "Can't blame a guy for hoping."

She inhaled heavily, her chest feeling a little too tight suddenly and her eyes stinging in overwhelming desire and frustration. "You were hoping?"

He chuckled. "Only a little bit. You're my best friend; why would I want that to change?"

Her words got stuck in her throat at his statement. If he was perfectly fine with everything, then maybe she shouldn't disrupt the balance they had kept for so long. Maybe she could survive off of a little flirtation here and there and just being best friends the rest of the time. Yeah, if he didn't want a relationship, then there was no reason to voice her feelings. His whole reason for asking about her feelings in the first place was probably to discourage them anyways. She closed her mouth tightly, ignoring the churning in her stomach.

A loud sigh from Auggie suddenly broke the silence.

"Are you tired?" she asked, wishing that this whole conversation hadn't occured. If she could've just kept all of those feelings locked away, and if Auggie wasn't so damn perceptive...

He nodded. "I think I'm gonna lie down. I had a pretty long day."

Her heart jumped despite her previous decision that she would continue to be best friends with Auggie. He was going to spend the night! And...there would be no cuddling whatsoever because they were both sober and just friends. And also because she could tell he was still turning over her denial to his accusation in his head. A little part of her knew that if she had answered his question differently he would not be going to bed now, analyzing all the reasons why she'd rejected him in his head. If she had admitted to her feelings like a big girl, there was the possibility that Auggie's lips would be on hers and his bare chest would be pressed up against hers, his fingers tracing trails of magic on her hips.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about how disappointed Danielle would be in her when she found out about this. "Alright, well you can take the couch, and I'll leave you alone to-"

"The couch?" he interrupted incredulously. "I don't think so, missy."

"_Missy?_"

"Your bed is half mine, remember?"

She did remember. She remembered everything about the day he claimed it, right down to his hands on her skin and his lips on hers and _God _she _had _to stop thinking about this in front of him.

"Auggie, I don't know if that's-"

He snorted, a mischievous glint appearing in his eye for a second before he stood and made his way towards her room. "Come on Annie, we're best friends, right? What could happen?"

The moonlight shone on his back for a second illuminating his tattoo, almost teasing her, and she tried to steady her breathing as she stood and followed him into her room.

What could happen? Bad things could happen.

With a little look, a small touch, very bad things could happen.

And in the back of her mind, a little voice told her that Auggie knew that too.


	18. Taciturn

_a/n: Sorry it took so long to post this! My computer likes to turn off for no reason! Can't wait until I get a new one, and I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this:) There'll be one more chapter after this one._

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><p><em>Taciturn: not inclined to talk<em>

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><p>Auggie did not like being uncertain, but that's exactly how he had been feeling ever since Annie had given him a massage. Uncertain about if she felt the same, uncertain about how to approach it, uncertain about himself because she had denied that she felt anything for him, uncertain how to proceed because he had made everything different.<p>

But already, a plan was forming in his ever analytical mind. The frustrating thing was, he was unsure of if he should go through with it. He shook his head disgustedly deciding that yes, he should, he had nothing to lose, and if they were really best friends, it wouldn't matter in the long run.

Auggie shuffled his way into Annie's bedroom, his foot ghosting over his shirt that had been discarded earlier. When he reached the edge of the bed, he paused, listening intensely for the soft padding of Annie's feet. He identified her quick gait immediately and almost instantly she was in the room behind him.

He tried to tell himself that he was sleeping in her bed because he had claimed it and he was just following through with his threat, but he knew that that wasn't fully true. He wanted to sleep by Annie to test her, to see if her denial of any attraction towards Auggie was true or not. He _had _been almost positive...

And this was one of those infuriating times when he couldn't tell just from the voice; when he _needed _to see the small changes in posture and fidgeting and the raw emotions brewing in her eyes.

A persistant noise told him that she was switching back and forth nervously between her feet which only added to the awkward vibes Auggie had been picking up from her. He hoped it was because she really _did _like him and not because he had introduced a concept that had made her feel weird and was now invading her bed. If Annie truly wanted to be nothing more than friends, he might die.

Well, maybe not literally _die_, but emotionally, he'd be a goner.

Even though plenty of girls had said he already was.

He shook his head again to clear his thoughts and decided before any testing began, he needed to break the ice that had formed in the mere three minutes since his innocent question. Not for the first time, he wondered if it was wise to proceed in the direction of a relationship with Annie. Then she gave a soft sigh from behind him, and he knew that in a way, his mind had been made up for him ever since Joan told him to show the newbie around.

Technically it was all Joan's fault.

That bit of knowledge made him feel a little bit better, so he sat down on the edge of her bed, motioning for her to join him. First thing first: he had to break the ice.

"Want to talk?" he asked.

"I thought you were tired," she said, but she still sat down next to him.

Auggie frowned. It was definitely farther away than she normally sat.

"The sound of your voice is like a lullaby," he teased, reaching out a hand to tug her slightly closer.

He heard her softly laugh. "Oh, shut up. What do you want to talk about?"

He pursed his lips for a second before saying, "I want you to tell me something I don't know about you. Let's just talk about things we never have."

Annie's incredulous silence met his eager ears. "And that sounds like fun to you?"

"Yeah!"

She gave a long sigh before grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her body. "Well, Auggie, you know like everything about me."

"Not everything."

"No," she said hesitantly. "I guess not."

"You never told me what happened with that doctor you were seeing."

There was a small intake of breath from his right. "Auggie, why on _earth _do you want to talk about Dr. Weiss?"

"Because he was an important part of your life! I think. And you know how I lost my eyesight." His tone was accusing, and he softened it slightly, so he could sound more like a man and less like a petulant child. "I don't know if you broke it off with him or if he hurt you in some way...I just need to know so next time he shows up I can kick his ass for you."

"Auggie, I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself," she groaned. "Please! The last thing I need is for you to get all big brother on me and scare off any guy that comes near me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, fine. But I still want to know. And no matter what you say, I will _always _scare off Jai."

Her laugh charmed the air and she hit Auggie on the arm. "That is why I love you!"

He tried not to smile to largely at her words and instead formed his lips into a pout. "If you love me, you'll tell me what I want to know."

When she spoke again, her tone was more subdued. "Alright. But there's really not much to tell. He was pretty much perfect, just not perfect for me. And I had all the drama with Danielle finding out about my job, I didn't need to worry about him and if he found out...it just wasn't the right time for that relationship."

"So you ended it?"

"Yes."

"And were you sad?"

She hesitated, and Auggie had to fight every instinct to wrap his arms around her. He needed her to come to him, to go back to the way it was before when she would _already_ be leaning against him. "Yes."

And then he felt the slight shift in pressure that told him she was leaning in towards him. Her hair brushed his arm, her head a soft pressure on his shoulder, and he immediately extended an arm which she curled into gratefully. He smiled, glad that they had gotten the awkwardness out of the way so quickly. It was much faster than he had been expecting, and it was hard to tell whether he was glad or slightly panicked that it was time to put his plan into action.

"Well," he said slowly, "just so you know...I already know about your job, so you never have to worry about that with me. The only question is if I'm perfect which of course, we already know the answer to."

She chuckled softly against his chest. "You are a hundred times better than Scott could've been, Auggie."

His breath stifled softly. And she was trying to tell him she had _no feelings_. "Really?"

She let out a loud laugh, and he pouted involuntarily. "Nah, at most you're three times better."

"That's mean. I believed you!"

"Don't be a drama queen Auggie."

He rolled his eyes.

"And...thanks," she added. "For the talk. I haven't really talked about it with anybody."

He ran a hand through her hair. "You're welcome, Annie. Now what do you say we get some sleep?" She hesitated and Auggie sensed it. "I'll take the couch if you want," he offered. Jai could accuse him of everything except not being a gentleman. "No...no that's okay, Auggie...you can sleep here. After all, it _is _half yours."

A wide smile broke out over his face. "Look who's making sense now!"

It wasn't until he climbed under the covers and felt her small body laying just inches away from his own that he thought maybe _he _was the one who hadn't been making sense.

Sharing a bed with Annie, who he had just recently accepted his feelings for? Nothing spelled more trouble than that. Then again... He reconsidered. There were definitely things that were more trouble: like being in a war zone and getting cement tied to your feet by the Italian mafia or even walking into an ambush from a bunch of angry Russians. He exhaled slowly, expelling the persisting uncertainty. He could do this. He could go through with his plan and prove that she liked him too and damn it, he could kiss her before the night was over!

He turned over and closed his eyes.


	19. Ineluctable

_a/n: Tada! It's complete! Hope you guys enjoy the last chapter! 3 Thanks for all of the reviews and support!_

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><p><em>Ineluctable: impossible to avoid or evade.<em>

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><p>Annie had succeeded in drifting off to semi-consciousness every once in a while, but the weight of Auggie's arm splayed across her stomach always succeeded in reminding her of exactly where she was.<p>

Auggie had effectively trapped her in her own bed. There was no escape, not even to her own mind.

She turned her face to look at him again, his features just barely distinguishable in the darkness of her room.

She couldn't sleep.

She'd been trying for the past hour, and had finally given up; concentrating instead on all the reasons why waking Auggie up and spilling her heart and soul to him was a terrible idea.

She wanted to fade into oblivion, to fall asleep and forget the feelings that were coursing through her veins; the torturous desire to curl into Auggie's warm body and feel his rough five o'clock shadow scrape her neck as his tender lips caressed her.

Annie pushed her head back into her pillow, frustrated with herself. She should be able to do this! She had been alive for twenty eight years for God's sake, she should be able to organize her brain and remain professional!

Auggie and Annie, best friends, nothing more.

He shifted in his sleep, his face drawing ever closer to hers, and she groaned inwardly. He was too beautiful for his own good. With a sigh, she tried to sit up and roll soundlessly away from Auggie's grip so she could get a drink of water and maybe crash on the couch (anything to clear her head) but as soon as she moved, Auggie's arm tightened around her, drawing her possessively to himself and holding her tightly against the hard line of his body.

His steady breaths continued, tickling her ear; and she squirmed, her heart racing in her chest. His hand was pressed against her stomach, and the inevitable memory of his hands tracing the bullet scar on her stomach and his lips on hers flitted through her mind for the millionth time that night.

She should have known it was impossible to sleep in the same bed as Auggie without something like this happening.

He was irresistable.

And she'd never been good at resisting anything in the first place.

Annie cleared her throat, hoarsely whispering into the darkness. "Auggie?"

He responded with an indecipherable mumble, but she pressed on anyways.

"Are you awake?"

She felt him nod, but he didn't let her go. Instead, his face nuzzled into the crook of her neck more, and suddenly she couldn't breathe. Every reason for maintaining their friendship she had come up with in the last hour flew out of her head. Suddenly it felt like he was increasing the pressure of his lips on her skin, and suddenly she was on fire.

His fingers were tracing patterns over her t-shirt, and even though he wasn't touching her skin, he was still sending shivers everywhere, and she was overcome with such want and _need _that she felt she might drown.

"Auggie," she said again, but it came out as a raw groan. She felt his body stiffen behind her before he melded himself to her once more. She took in a shuddering breath, struggling to maintain control. He moved back slightly and without his support, she rolled and ended up flat on her back, staring up at the shadowy face of a man who rippled with power and confidence, hovering above her and draining her resolve. Every breath Annie exhaled left her more at his mercy.

She decided she didn't care about preserving friendship, just as long as Auggie kissed her, for real this time.

Besides, Danielle knew this would happen. everyone at work believed it had already happened, and every part of her wanted it to happen now.

There was no plausible reason to put it off any longer.

She _couldn't _put it off any longer.

Regardless of Auggie's feelings, she had to tell him what she felt, or else she might implode. But before she could open her mouth, Auggie opened his.

"You lied," he said, tracing his hand up hers to her shoulder up her neck to her chin, until he could run a thumb along her lip, making her suck in another shaky breath. "You _do _like me."

"Yes," she said weakly, the emotion embarrassingly evident in her voice.

Suddenly she wondered if he trapped her on purpose, if he was planning to capture her all along. She decided it doesn't really matter because they would've gotten here eventually, and then all thought was wiped from her mind as his hands gripped her face and the truth of how much he really needed her spilled out in a whoosh of air.

_"Thank God."_

His thumb touched the corner of her mouth once more, just to make sure it's where he thought it was and then he was kissing her with feverish frenzy and pent up desire. His hands caressed every inch of her, exploring what he'd been dying to for so long now, and her fingers fisted in his hair, raked down his back.

He broke away for a moment, trailing kisses down her neck until he surfaced for air, tracing the planes of her face softly with his fingers. "I wish I could see you now," he groaned.

Annie gripped his face in her hands, pressing another kiss to his full lips. "Auggie," she muttered. "You see me better than _anyone_."

He looked down at her for a minute, his expression indecipherable, and then a broad smile sidled onto his face. "That's what I like to hear."

He brought his lips crashing back down on hers, giving her another bone melting kiss, his arms slipping around her to hold her tightly to his body.

Suddenly he broke away again and Annie was left gasping for breath, completely exhilarated and invigorated. She couldn't believe she had _ever_ tried to prevent this from happening.

Her ears pricked at the sound of Auggie chuckling slightly and Annie's brows furrowed.

"What's so funny?"

"I can't _wait _to tell Jai."

Annie answered with a hard punch to the gut, but it only made Auggie laugh more.


End file.
